Hopper mechanism



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R. L. WILCOX HOPPER MECHANISM Filed July 1,

I9?) 3 Sheets-Sheet l LSWJSQ R. L. WILCOX HOPPER MECHANISM Filed July 1, 192] 3 Sheets$heet 2 Now. 25, 1924- l 1,517,139

R. L. WILCOX HOPPER MECHANISM Filed July 1 man :5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Tag- (i i/ J4 JJ 4/ dwz Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

RICHARD LESTER VVILCO'X, OLE WATERB'UBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WA- TERBUBY FARBEL FOUNDRY AND MACHINE COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CON- NECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

HOPPER MECHANISM.

Application filed. July 1, 1921.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, RICHARD LESTER WIL- oox, a citizen of the Un ted States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hopper Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in hopper mechanisms and has for its object, among other things, to produce such a mechanism of the slide hopper type that will be more permanent and efficient than those heretofore made, that will be' simple in its construction as well as its means and method of adjustment.

To these and other ends my invention consists in the hopper mechanism having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of my improved mechanism; 7

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation thereof, taken generally upon line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view thereof; and

Figure 4: is a detail of the stripper mechanism.

In the drawings, 10 designates a fragmentary portion of a machine to which my improved mechanism is attached, and 11 the trough having a lug 12 thereon which is adjustably connected with a standard 13 secured to the machine 10. This trough is constructed with an inclined bottom and one open side toward which the bottom inclines and is covered by the plate 14 having a cover 15 hinged thereto.

In Figure 2 this cover is shown in its down or closed position by full lines and in its open position by broken lines, being supported in thislatter position by a stop 16. A handle 17 attached to the cover 15 provides a convenient means for the manual manipulation thereof.

Verticallyslidable within a recess in the Serial No. 481,847.

open side of the trough 11 is a slide 18 which has a vertical movement therein and provided upon its top edge with a removable lip 19 preferably secured thereto by screws 20 and having a face 21 that inclines toward the outer wall of said slide. The outer face of the slide is cut away at 56, to reduce friction, wear upon'the parts, and also reduce the cost of manufacture.

Lateral displacement of the slide 18 is prevented by the cap 22 which is secured to the trough 11 by a plurality of screws 23.

The chute mechanism comprises a block 24 fixed to the trough 11 by the bolts 25 and having an angular recess 26 therein into which is fitted the upper end of the outer chute plate 27 that extends downwardly in an inclined plane, and is supported at its lower end by a bracket 28, adjustably attached to a fixed part by a bolt 29 passing through a slot 30 therein.

Substantially parallel with the outer chute plate 27 is the inner chute plate 31 Which'is anextension of the inclined upper face of the slide cap 22. This chute plate 31 is supported at its lower end by a bracket 32 adjustably secured to a fixed part in very much the same manner as the bracket 28.

The outer chute plate 27 is adjustable toward and away from the slide cap 22 and the inner chute plate 31 by the screws 34;

and so as to vary the width of the open space 33 therebetween and thereby accommodate blanks of different diameters. The screw 34: is threaded into the block 24 and the ends of the screws 35 abut against the face of said block, so that to widen the space 33, the screw 34 is loosened until the desired width is obtained and then the plate is held in its adjusted position by tightening the screws 35. The width of the space 33 is reduced by the reverse operations.

Fixed to the outside of the outer chute plate 27 is the plate 36 having a face 37 thereon which inclines toward the top of the plate 27. Plate 36 may extend to the top of the hopper or a supplemental plate 38 be attached thereto, thus providing an outside wall that projects to substantially the top of the hopper mechanism.

Movement may be imparted to the slide 18 in any preferred manner. One of the means for accomplishing this result is shown in the drawings and comprises a stud 39 connected witha fixed part 40 having a gear 41 rotatably mounted thereon carrying a crank pin 42 between which and a crank pin 43 in the slide 18 is a connecting rod 141.

During the rotation of the gear 41 a vertical movement is imparted to the slide 18 through the connecting rod 1 1. In its extreme down position the top of the lip 19 upon the slide 18 is flush with or below the inclined bottom of the trough 11 and its extreme up position is substantially as shown in Figures 1 and 2 wherein the upper portion thereof is above the top of the cap .22 and outer chute plate 27 which are at an angle thereto.

Theblanks which are grouped in a mass in the trough, slide down the inclined bottom thereof onto the top of the lip 19, and the slide during its upward movement passes through the mass of blanks and some are retained on the top thereof against the face 21 and the inner wall of the cap 22. WVhen the slide approaches approximately the limit of its upward stroke, the blanks roll therefrom onto the top of the slide cap 22 and the outer chute plate 27, and the shanks thereof drop through in the open space 33 with their heads resting upon the top of the cap 22 and outer chute plate 27. In this position the blanks slide down to the lower discharge end of the chute in a manner well known to the art. As the slide continues its upward movement, these blanks successively roll therefrom onto the chute mechanism, until the upward limit of the slide has been reached. At this time the upper portion of the slide forms an inner wall against the chute mechanism, an outer opposite wall being provided by the plate 36 and supplemental plate 38. The inclined face 87 of the plate 36 insures the return to the chute mechanism of any blanks that may have rolled across the cap 22 against said inclined face.

In the hopper mechanisms heretofore made of the general type herein shown the adjustment of the chute mechanism has been upon the side of the chute toward the vertical slide 18. An illustration of this type of hopper mechanism is disclosed in Letters Patent to Lars W. Thorsell, No. 1,483,601, dated February 12, 1924. This has resulted in the production of mechanism wherein the slide 18 and the blanks thereon move against a surface having a joint therein across the path of movement of the slide. The constant wear of the blanks against this joint in time starts a nick therein which grows into a break at the oint, and develops to such an 921156111338 to permit the blank to enter therein, break the parts and injure the blanks. In the case of small and delicate blanks many are injured before the abnormal conditions are discovered. With my mechanism the face against which the blanks ride and the slide moves is transversely jointless, smooth and unbroken, thus avoiding the objections above described.

This difficulty of a jointed structure is accentuated by the fact that the adjustment of the chute mechanism is on the side toward the slide so that removable plates are so connected therewith as to require constant changing to accommodate blanks of various diameters. This is objectionable because of the impracticability of making a perfect transverse joint for the several plates. The necessarily large number of plates required for a complete range of adjustments are expensive to make, require skill to change and adjust and when not in use are liable to be injured to such an extent as to impair their efficiency, and that of associated mechanism.

All such objections are absent in my device as there are no removable parts required to produce desired adjustments and such parts as are movable are upon the side of the chute opposite to the slide.

In order that all blanks as they pass down the chute to the delivery end are properly positioned therein, I have provided a stripper device for stripping therefrom such blanks as are not so positioned. This mechanism comprises a shaft that is rotated by a belt 16 connected with a grooved wheel 17 upon said shaft and connected with any power source. Upon this shaft is a stripper wheel 48 having a peripheral groove 49 in its face and provided with teeth 50, the number of which, of course, may be varied as the necessity or the character of the work demands.

As the stripper wheel 48 rotates, such blanks as are not properly positioned are struck by the teeth 50 and are directed by such motion upwardly on top of the chute and prevented from falling back into the hopper by the upper end of the slide 18 which forms a temporary inner wall for the chute and by the agitation thereon the blank is liable to become properly positioned with out being returned to the hopper. The properly positioned blanks pass downwardly through the chute with the heads thereof passing under the groove 49 in the stripper wheel.

Blanks with heads of varying thickness are accommodated by adjustably securing the bracket 51 in which the shaft 4-5 is rotatably mounted upon a fixed part 52. By adjustment of this bracket it is obvious that the position of the outer ends of the teeth 50 relative to the top of the chute may be changed as desired.

To prevent a blank from being caught in the teeth 50 and carried over the top of the wheel 18, I have provided a guard plate 53 which is adjustably secured to a fixed part by a screw 54; and having a finger 55 at its outer end which projects into the groove .49 in the stripper wheel 48.

()ther means, of course, may be used for supporting and adjusting the plates of the chute mechanism and so far as the hopper feed is concerned other forms of a stripper mechanism can be used equally as well, the top of the slide may have an angular iface instead of applying separable lips, if desired, and in these and other ways the details of my invention may be materially modified.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a hopper mechanism for delivery of articles to a chute, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, a separable closure member forming part of the chute and covering said recess, slide and open side, and

providing a surface that is unjointed transversely, against which said slide is actuated and over the top of which blanks are delivered by said slide.

2. In a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, and a chute connected with said trough, the slot therein being substantially parallel with said wall, one plate of the chute forming a separable closure member for covering said recess and slide upon one side thereof and forming an unjointed surface against which said slide is actuated.

3. In a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, a chute mounted so that the slot therein near its upper end is substantially parallel with said open side, a separable closure member covering said recess and slide upon one side thereof forming an unjointed surface against which said slide is actuated and also a portion of said chute.

4. I11 a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, a closure member for the open side of the trough, a chute plate substantially parallel with said closure member, and means for adjusting said chute plate relatively to said closure member whereby blanks of various diameters may be accommodated in the open space therebetween.

5. In a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side. with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, a chute substantially parallel with the open side of said trough, comprising in part substantially parallel members with an open space therebetween, and means for adjusting that member distant from the slide relatively thereto, whereby the width of said open space may be varied, one of said pai allel members forminga closure member for the open side of said trough.

6. In a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward" said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, aclosure member covering said recess and slide on one side thereof, a chute substantially parallel with said closure member, composed in part of said closure member and a substantially parallel member, means for adjusting the last mentioned member relatively to the closure member, and a member connected with said outer chute member projecting above the top thereof, and having a face thereon that inclines toward the top of said chute.

7. In a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, a lip connected with the upper end of said slide, having an outwardly inclined face thereon, a secured closure member upon one side of said slide, the top of which is at an angle to the path of movement of the slide, and a chute plate connected with said trough substantially parallel with said closure member.

8. In a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, a closure member covering said recess, a slide with an open side, a chute mechanism substantially parallel with the face of said closure member and at an angle to the movement of said slide, composed in part of said closure member, and means for adjustably securing one of the members of the chute mechanism to said trough, whereby the same may be moved toward and away from said closure member.

9. I11 a hopper mechanism, a trough having one open side and a bottom which inclines toward said open side, with a recess in one wall adjacent to said open side, a slide vertically movable in said recess, a closure member covering said recess, slide and open side, a chute mechanism substantially parallel with the face of said closure member and at an angle to the movement of said slide, composed in part of said elosure member, and means for adjustably securing one of the members of the chute mechanism to said trough, whereby the same may be moved toward and away from {said closure member, and an inner chute plate fixed so as to form an extension of the top of said closure member. 7

10. In combination with a chute of a hopper mechanism, of means for stripping therefrom all blanks not properly positioned therein, comprising a rotary stripper wheel havinga plurality of teeth in its periphery and an annular groove therein, means for securing said wheel whereby it may be ad justed towardand away from said chute, I

and a separahly secured guard plate project ing over a portion of said stripper wheel.

11. In combination with a hopper mechanism, a chute, and means for stripping from the chute all blanks not properly positioned therein, comprising an :uljustably mounted bracket, a stripper wheel rotatably connected therewith, having a plurality of teeth in its periphery, an annular groove therein, and a separably secured guard plate, having a finger thereon in register with said annular groove.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

Brennan rins'rnn wrLooX. 

